Pages

Tuesday, 12 August 2014

1914: Dogs of War

The famous Punch cartoon of 1914sums it up perfectly

In recent days, with the 100th anniversary of the
opening of World War 1 so fresh in one’s mind, I have been very conscious of
what was happening in Belgium during the opening rounds. Germany’s savage
onslaught in Western Europe fell first on this geographically small nation when
the Belgian Government refused to allow free passage of German armies to attack
France. Belgium’s refusal, and its
determination to resist invasion by a vastly more powerful foes, was heroic in the
extreme and the nation was to pay a very high price in the years that followed.
Belgium’s desperate resistance in 1914 was however to knock the meticulously-calculated
German advance schedule off track. It gave French and British troops time to
deploy to meet the onslaught after Belgian forces were forced to retreat.
Almost all of the country was to be occupied by the Germans, with only a tiny
corner in the south-west being held by Belgian forces for the remainder of the war.
The German occupation was to be brutal, marked not just by atrocities against
civilians, but by massive deportation of forced labour and by removal of
industrial plant. Looting of food supplies brought the population to the edge
of starvation and, up to 1917, was saved only by American relief supplies
organised by future-president Herbert Hoover. The Belgian economy, which in
1914 had been the sixth largest in the world, would never recover its position in
decades to come.

Dogs pulling a milk cart in more peaceful times

Mark Antony’s call of “Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of
war!” in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar evokes images of ravening
hounds straining at the least with bared fangs and bloodshot eyes. In 1914
however the “dogs of war” were to play much humbler but no less heroic roles.
This was in Belgium, a country where, like parts of the Netherlands, dogs were in
normal everyday use for pulling small carts.

Two faithful servants

In the days before motor transport,
and in a generally level country with few inclines, a dog was a cheap and effective
way of transporting small items. A particular advantage was that, unlike horses
or oxen, they could be kept easily in towns and, as omnivores, were
low-maintenance as regards food. Dogs appear to have been widely used to draw small
milk-carts and were popular subjects for postcards sold to tourists in the pre-1914
era.

Postcard showing Belgian infantry on the march

The Belgian Army was also to make use of dogs for
transporting light loads, being widely employed by machine-gun teams either for
pulling the gun itself, or for moving ammunition and other necessities.
Surviving photographs from 1914 show that these dogs went to war and one
wonders how many were to survive. A particularly poignant aspect of these
photographs is that one gets such a strong sense of trust and loyalty – even
pride. These humble canine soldiers look proud of what they could do.

A Vickers medium machine gun drawn by two K9 privates

Belgian troops marching to the front, supported by dog transport

Exhausted dogs have a well-earned restOne wonders what finally became of them

Some of the saddest photographs from Belgium in 1914 show
refugees who have taken to the roads with a few possessions to escape the German
advance. A month before these people were leading inoffensive, humble, useful
lives, but as war engulfed them they were to leave what they had flee with little
more than the clothes on their backs. Many of these people were dependent on their
dog carts – often laden with the old and the infirm.

Refugee family - and the dogs are doing their best

Dogs drawing a very heavy load - misery for humans and for beasts

Canine transport in happier times

Man's Best Friend

In all these photographs one is amazed at just how small
many of these dogs were. One also has the strong the impression of the dogs’ endless
loyalty and patience, “Man’s Best Friend” proving himself in extremity.

And today – a hundred years on from this misery – we are
confronted with images of even greater suffering as Christian and Yazidi
refugees flee before an unthinkably more savage for than the Germans were in
1914. The best way we can commemorate World War 1 and its sacrifices is to stand
by these people in Iraq in their hour of need.

2 comments:

Herbert Hoover is well remembered for his WW I saying, "Food will win the war!" He was no stranger to war. As an engineer he played a major part in defending the Chinese City 80 miles from Peking where the relief column was organized. Back to WW I, another Boxer Rebellion hero Marine Dan Daly would earn US Marines the nick-name, 'Devil Dogs.' Today this day it's not uncommon for us to address each other as, "You ol' devil Dog!" The US Marines even have a light-hearted veterans group called the Order of the Devil Dogs, organized in packs. At each meeting a member must begin each sentence with, "Woof! Woof!" or put a dollar in a dog-dish. I have been a guest on one occasion, but am already doing as much as I can for veterans. Thus I didn't have time to join this ultimate fun-loving Marine Corps Veterans Group which has its origin in Antoine's WW I Dogs of War.

About Me

My "Dawlish Chronicles" are set in the late 19th Century and reflect my deep interest in the politics, attitudes and technology of the period. The fifth novel in the series, “Britannia’s Amazon” is now available in both paperback and Kindle formats. It follows the four earlier Dawlish Chronicles, "Britannia's Wolf", "Britannia's Reach”, "Britannia's Shark" and "Britannia's Spartan". Click on the book covers below to learn more or to purchase.
I’ve had an adventurous career in the international energy industry and am proud of having worked in every continent except Antarctica. History is a driving passion in my life and I have travelled widely to visit sites of historical significance, many insights gained in this way being reflected in my writing. I welcome contact on Facebook and via this Blog. My website is www.dawlishchronicles.com and its “Conflict” section has a large number of articles on topics from the mid-18th Century to the early 20th Century.